6 March 2001

THE Falun Gong issue will not go away. Once again, it seems, the heat has increased. Last week Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee described the Falun Gong [slanderous words]. The suggestion that the group is superstitious may have some truth, but who isn't superstitious? What does Mrs Ip think about fung shui? Then Xu Simin, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is meeting this week in Beijing, accused Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa of being "too weak'' on Falun Gong. If the government did not take a tougher stance, Mr Xu said he would seek the impeachment of Mr Tung.

These two outbursts show a worrying escalation in anti-Falun Gong rhetoric. They drew an angry response from pro-democracy groups.

Normally, if anyone wants to impeach Mr Tung it is the pro-democracy camp. Therefore, given that Mr Tung has the continued support of Beijing in handling the Falun Gong, Mr Xu's impeachment threat is unlikely to come to much.

Mrs Ip's comments should be taken more seriously, because she speaks for the government. The government should be careful not to push itself into a corner by its own statements on superstition. There is a risk that other religions could unavoidably be caught in the anti-superstition movement. Such erosion of religious freedom would be disastrous for Hong Kong's reputation.

The government should avoid raising the temperature too much, because otherwise there could be serious social implications.

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